Hull Seahawks coach Matty Davies delighted to have leader Sam Towner back ‘home’

The 27-year-old centre has come up through the ranks in his hometown and will form an integral part of player-coach Davies’s plans..

Sheffield Steeldogs would no doubt have been delighted to keep hold of Towner for at least another season after his contribution for them in a double-winning season last time out in NIHL National.

But once the former GB Under-20 and Under-18 forward got to sit down and hear of Davies’s vision and plans for the Seahawks, there was only one place he was going to sign, much to the delight of supporters who attended Thursday night’s fans’ forum at Hull Ice Arena where his return was revealed.

Davies, who expects to announce another signing this weekend as he prepares for his debut season behind the bench, says having Towner on board for 2022-23 represents a big positive for the team.

“He’s always been the same has Towns, always been a really hard-working lad,” said Davies. “He’s just got everything I want from a player.

“He’ll be the first to say that he’s not the flashiest and he’s not going to put up mental numbers, but everyone who has coached him, everyone who has played alongside him, appreciates what he does.

“It’s the little things he does, the things people don’t often notice that just help make a team better and the players around him on the ice better. For me he’s going to be a big part of our leadership group.

“I’m sure Sheffield would have loved to have him back, but he’s a Hull lad and I know he loves Hull. He’s somebody who can go and play for somebody else and, while you know he’s putting it all out there, deep down I know that it’s Hull he really cares about.

“But it matters just that little bit more when he’s playing for Hull and I want others on this team to follow his lead.”

Towner found himself back in Sheffield for the 2021-22 NIHL National season - he spent part of his junior career there - after it became apparent Hull Pirates’ owner Shane Smith would not be icing a team in the first full season after the Covid pandemic had wrecked so much of the previous 18 months.

Along with a number of other Pirates’ team-mates - former player-coach Jason Hewitt, Matt Bissonnette, Jonathan Kirk, Lee Bonner and Lee Haywood - he was quickly snapped up by Greg Wood at the Steeldogs.

It was a fruitful coming together of previously fierce rivals, the Steeldogs enjoying a memorable campaign when lifting the NIHL National Cup and the season-closing play-off trophy.

But while Kirk, Bonner and Hewitt - who had signed a two-year deal last summer - will remain in South Yorkshire, Towner has opted to be part of revitalising hockey in the city closest to his heart.

“With Towns, what you get is an incredibly versatile forward,” added Davies of a player who spent three full seasons with Hull Stingrays before another four in the Pirates’ colours. “He can just as easily be out there on one of the top two lines alongside your imports as much as he can be on the third line with some up-and-coming kids either side of him.

“When push comes to shove, I can put him out against the best players in the league knowing he can do the job I need him to do.

“And believe me, I know how annoying he is as a player. I couldn’t tell you how many times I used to get racked off with Towns in training because he’s just one of them players who is always there, always in the way, always making life difficult for you.

“And that is exactly what I want from him. I want him to be the most annoying player on the ice.”